I haven’t been much of a TV person. I just can’t sit on the couch hours watching television all day long. Therefore, it might seem strange that I bought an OTA (Over The Air) DVR (Digital Video Recorder). However, there are a few shows I miss watching, but can’t watch them because I go to bed too early. There are also a couple of classics that I would like to watch, but then will have to make a choice between one of 2-3 programs. This is where the Tablo TV shines. I bought the 4 tuner model which allows me to record up to 4 channels at one time. I could also watch one channel live while recording 3 other channels. This is sufficient for my needs. I then set my recordings, and hopefully if everything works out, I will be able to see what I would enjoy watching. I bought the Tablo for $140, and is intended to solve my only TV Problem.
The Good
Beyond a couple of hiccups initially, everything just works. I plug the antenna into the Tablo, and since the Tablo is close enough to the router, I used the included ethernet cable to plug into my router. It does however support Wifi as well. The Tablo records the channels just fine, but I had only had this device for a little more than couple of days, so I hadn’t caught onto any failures. The app works most of the time when using a 32″ Roku enabled TV.
The setup process was simple enough. It found the Tablo on the network, and allowed me to connect it seamlessly. It did a channel scan, and found 88 TV channels, and of course, it also add its own unique channels which seems to be all the rave for smart TV like devices. With that in mind, the TV’s channel selector is no longer used. Instead, I will use the Tablo TV app, and can watch TV from there. This means one app for recordings, watching recordings, and watching live TV all in one place. I could theoretically buy another OTA antenna and hook it up to my TV, but this would be a waste of resources, and space.
The model I bought has 4 tuners. This means it can handle 4 channels at the same time. This means I can record 4 channels at one time. I could also watch 1 live channel, and record 3 other channels. I will be adjusting my evening TV watching soon to accommodate the fact I can now watch recorded channels, and skip past the commercials which is another nice feature of the Tablo. I just use the fast forward button on the Roku remote, and everything works.
While it won’t benefit me, you can have multiple Tablos in the house. A family of 4 for example can have a Tablo in each bedroom, and the Tablo plugs into the coaxial jack for the OTA antenna. This could go a long way in elimnating the “need” for cable TV. I would assume that particular TV will select the appropriate Tablo, and it connects to that Tablo all of the time. I have enough tuners on the quad tuner Tablo, so I won’t see myself buying another Tablo to test how this will work out.
The Bad
I don’t think the CPU is sufficient enough. There have been times when the DVR stuttered, or locked up for about 5-10 seconds. For $140, I expected better. This seems to only be the case when I am watching from the Tablo for a few hours though. I would then turn the TV off at the end of watching the show I was watching, and give the Tablo a break. Still, I think the CPU of the Tablo should be better.
The interface takes a little getting used to. I would have to work with it, and hopefully would adjust well. One thing I don’t like is the fact that there was no way I could find where I could hide the shows I already watched. If this could be done, then that improve the qualify of the interface a little bit. I also find it a little confusing that the all of the shows don’t seem to want to mark as to record when I tell the Tablo to record all shows. This seems to happen on only select shows, and I am hoping this is just a glitch.
You are required to setup an account. I have yet to find a reason why this is needed, and think it is just a marketing tool forced on you. They want an email address and your name. I personally created a unique email address, but I know many people don’t have their own domain that will allow them to do that. They don’t provide any benefit for registering which is actually a useless requirement.
The Ugly
There is only 50 hours of recording. It’s enough for me, but I am sure this would be an issue for some people. I could theoretically add a USB-A hard drive to the system to increase the capacity, but I don’t have any outlets remaining for plugging in a hard drive. When the DVR fills up, it will start deleting the oldest content first. This is why I would love to just see shows I hadn’t watched on the display rather than everything.
The color is white. I know – color does not do anything mechanically for the Tablo, and that is why it is just the ugly. I would have wanted more color options to match the decor, and personal tastes of the user. For those that knows me will know my preferred color to be black.
The Tablo only supports ATSC-1 which is a legacy standard. Slowly, TV stations will be moving to ATSC-3 which while the antenna will work, the Tablo will not. This will mean I will have to replace the DVR when ATSC-3 is finally turned on. I know I will have to buy a new Tablo in the future, but I am still hoping to use the current model as long as possible. The manufacturer should have built the Tablo to support both standards, especially with the lower CPU capabilities, and the higher price tag.
Conclusion
If you can stomach the bad, then the Tablo might be a good tool. Even if you are awake for all of your shows, the ability to record multiple channels at once is really good. I am able to use the fast forward button to bypass commercials which reduces the time that is otherwise wasted. I am guessing a 30 minute show will have 10 minutes in commercials. That is a bit of time savings.
With it finding almost 90 channels, it might be a good step to replacing cable TV. Me, personally – I only paid for cable for about 6 months back in 2001 and it was a waste of money in my opinion. Ever since then, I stuck with OTA TV. With that said, the Tablo is in my opinion the step that a person can take to reduce or eliminate their “need” for cable TV.